"No players have said 82 games is too much. ...We have to talk about all options, all ideas. Injuries are a part of the game. It's a problem that we're having and facing………….. it's about the quality of play. Its about the fan engagement and keeping the sport as pure as possible from a historical basketball stake. Personally, I don't think 58 games is enough, but I would have the discussion because that's my job as the President of the Players Association. I would vote against 58 games, but I would consider 72 if it made sense for the masses, if it made sense for the players."
Okay, then the most important players, the biggest stars, have to play closer to 82 games than they do now. I don't want to hear any more talk about "load management" and "Irritated big toe" reasons for sitting out. As McCollum says, part of the issue here is "the quality of play" and "fan engagement." It is patently unfair to the ticket-buyer to pay full price to see LeBron James or Steph Curry and then they don't play for other than "physically unable to perform" reasons.
